Managing productivity, profits and people is not always easy. While successful corporations adopt a wide range of strategies to succeed, almost all of them focus on their employees. Managers try to develop practical skills that cover all areas of operation. What employees basically need is a core skill that enables them to manage and succeed in the many different work situations and challenges of the 21st century workplace. They need to learn to THINK. Smart and creative thinking is critical to bringing out new and innovative products and services. Managers must ‘make room for new ideas’. Managers must create the right work environment to ‘make room for new ideas’. Why are some employees able to come up with new and innovative ideas, while the majority can’t even think of an idea to improve work practices? The problem is not just with the employees. Their colleagues and their supervisors have a significant effect on the creative and innovative behaviors of employees.
It is true that individual personality and attitude play a dominant role in creating innovative ideas. That is not the only component in the process of creativity and innovation at work. Colleagues (peers) and supervisor with their own personality and attitude have the potential to influence the final result. In other words, a person who has the gift of personality and creative attitude may not contribute any new ideas, simply because of the absence of a favorable working environment.
As a manager, you must make a concerted effort to reach all employees at all levels of the organization. All training activities and programs should try to create the right environment that encourages creativity. You can take the following steps to spark new ideas:
- Encourage employees to keep an open mind: This is the first step if you want to give way to new ideas. The individual employee, colleagues and the supervisor collectively should be encouraged to adopt this mindset. When they show signs of stiffness in their attitude, encourage them to ask: What else…?
- Don’t micromanage: Any attempt to keep track of everything in the workplace. Provide greater autonomy to employees, so they are free to think outside the box.
- Keep your SOP short and nice: The presence of comprehensive and comprehensive standard operating procedures (SOPs) is the surest way to kill off any and all new ideas.
- Encourage them to ask “What would happen if…“When team members are looking for creative solutions to a problem, encourage them to ask, ‘What if…?’ This is the best way to challenge the old assumption, the biggest barrier to innovation.
- Insist on more than one solution: Let employees know that it is in the interest of the group and the business organization to seek more than one solution to a problem. You can start with three minimal solutions and gradually increase it to 4, 5, 6 and eventually 7. By the time they start asking “What if…?”, generating more than 3 solutions won’t be a problem.
- Make the group diverse: Make sure team members have diverse backgrounds in terms of age, gender, experience, culture, race, and area of expertise. Involving people from other units, departments is one of the best ways to seek new and innovative ideas.
- Make Brainstorming Sessions FUN: Start the session with some unexpected activities: distribute fruits, sweets or chocolates. A pleasant positive emotional experience will bring new ideas.
- Conduct regular brainstorming sessions: Make sure the facilitator is well trained in the art of running an effective brainstorming session.
- Ask the children of employees for new ideas: What better way than to take advantage of the great potential of the children of your employees.
- Provide creativity training.: High performance in any area depends on the Skills, Abilities and Knowledge of employees. Getting the right foundation in these three areas is the best way to start when it comes to bringing new ideas to life.
‘Make room for new ideas’ Also require managers to eliminate the old and useless practices and ideas that occupy the room. Review your current policies and practices and prepare to get rid of them. Until you create the right space, you won’t be able to bring in new ideas. Get ready to ‘make room for new ideas’. Master some basic techniques that will put you in a better position to start. Visit lifeskills4success